You can design in photoshop, Canva or your favorite graphic design software and upload the design to Garment Creator.  For best results, select sRGB colors when creating data to be printed on a T-shirt. sRGB colors are closer to the actual print results. You can print in TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP. file formats. We generally use PNG files as they have a transparent background. 

• Open the Garment Creator software on a library laptop and drag your design into the gridded work area.
• In the upper left hand corner, make sure the printer selected is the Epson SC-F2100.
• Format the design to your preferred dimensions by using the Layout Setting tab in the upper-right hand corner of Garment Creator. Most shirts will be using the Medium Platen (14" x 16").  Here you can rotate, scale and center your design.  See the tab "Recommended Graphic for Shirt Sizes" for help determining the size and placement of your graphic. 

Print Settings

Under the Print Settings tab in Garment Creator there are several presets for different shirt colors. The color wheel next to the preset shows what colors will be used for that preset. 

Black t-shirts that will not be using black ink (it uses the black of the shirt instead, saving ink!), select Black Color T-shirt (Use Garment Black)

• Adjust the Print to your desired quality by selecting a level from the drop down menu. For the Black Color setting we recommend level 4 or 5. 

Light t-shirts (white, light gray, etc.) that do not need a layer of white ink before laying down other colors, select Light Color T-Shirt (Standard)

• Adjust the Print to your desired quality by selecting a level from the drop down menu. For the Light Color setting we recommend level 3 or 4.

Dark color t-shirts that need a layer of white ink and will be using black, select Dark Color t-shirt (standard)

• Adjust the Print to your desired quality by selecting a level from the drop down menu. For the Dark Color Standard setting we recommend level 4 or 5.

Dark t-shirts that will only be using white ink to print, select the Dark Color T-Shirt (White)

• Adjust the Print to your desired quality by selecting a level from the drop down menu. For the Dark Color White setting we recommend level 2. 

Pre-Treatment

• Pretreat is only needed when white ink is printed. For shirts using the Light Color T-Shirt (Standard) setting, skip pre-treating!
• For all other t-shirts use the Silver-Jet for pretreatment. Use the regular pre-treatment liquid for cotton shirts (up to a 50/50 blend) and use the polyester pre-treatment liquid for blends with higher polyester contents like a 75/25 blend.
• Mix only what you need for pre-treatment because the mixture is only good for 48 hours.
• Grab the pre-treatment plastic container from the back of the Silver-Jet and mix the pre-treatment liquid with distilled water in a ration of 1:1. Swil the container to jix.
• Place the container in the holder at the back of the Silver-Jet and insert the tube. Make sure you've mixed enough pre-treatment mix so that it fully covers the valve at the bottom of the tube.
• Access the inside of the Silver-Jet by pressing in on one of the side acrylic panels. Attach the nozzle to the sprayer inside with a tight quarter turn to the right.
• Hold an empty cup underneath the nozzle and press the purge button on the front of the machine until the liquid coming out of the nozzle has changed from clear to white. The tube at the top of the spray chamber will also be white instead of clear. 
• Pull out the drawer and dress the shirt onto the platen, collar towards you as shown by the graphic on the front of the Silver-Jet. 
• Lint roll the shirt (especially black shirts) to remove any extra fibers. Make sure the shirt is laying as flat as possible on the platen to avoid wrinkles, and close the drawer.
• On the top of the Silver-Jet, loosen and move the knobs to adjust the spray length. If the medium platen is being used for printing, then set the total spray length to 16" to match the platen length. Place the left know at 1" and place the right know at 17" and tighten them back down.
• Adjust the spray speed (most t-shirts are optimally covered at 6-8) and then press start. The sprayer will activate and put pre-treatment on the shirt (it's very quick).

Pretreatment MSDS

Pre-Press

Plug the K20S heat press in and switch it on. It is pre-programmed to heat to 350 degrees The press .will beep when it has heated to the pre-set temperature (this takes about 15 minutes). The pressure should read 5 or 6 for optimum results. See the LibGuide for the Heat Press if you are unsure how to set the pressure. 

• For shirts using the Light Color T-Shirt (Standard) setting, dress the t-shirt onto the heat press platen and lint roll the surface. Make sure the shirt is laying as flat as possible on the platen to avoid wrinkles. Remember to swing the top out of the way while loading the shirt because it is very hot! Cover the shirt with a sheet of parchment paper and swing the top back over the platen. Pull the press bar down onto the shirt and press for 10 seconds. 
• For shirts using pre-treatment, carefully remove the t-shirt from the Silver-Jet drawer (avoiding folding it on itself) and dress the t-shirt onto the heat press platen. Make sure the shirt is laying as flat as possible on the platen to avoid wrinkles. Remember to swing the top out of the way while loading the shirt because it is very hot! Cover the shirt with a sheet of parchment paper and swing the top back over the platen. Pull the press bar down onto the shirt and press for 25 seconds. 

Loading the T-Shirt

• Adjust the platen height on the Epson F2100 by moving the gray lever under the platen. A height of 2 works for most t-shirts, so that when it's loaded, it won't get caught in the printer head. 
• Dress the pressed/pretreated shirt onto the platen and place the metal hoop on top of the shirt.
• Pull the sides of the t-shirt down to make sure that the surface is as flat as possible and make sure that the metal hoop is not sticking up anywhere. 
• Check the shirt for any fibers and lightly lint roll if necessary. Also make sure the extra fabric of the shirt (ex. sleeves) is tucked underneath the platen so it doesn't get caught in the printer.

Send the File

• With the file already prepared in Garment Creator click print. 
• If this is the first print of the day, the printer might run a pre-cleaning cycle (approx. 5 mins) and prompt the user to shake the white ink.
• When the printer is ready, press the blue button to print.

Post-press

• After printing, carefully remove the t-shirt from the Epson F2100 and avoid folding it on itself.
• Pull the shirt by the collar towards you until the shirt is a little over halfway off the platen. Then grab the bottom of the shirt and gently slide it off the rest of the way. 
• Carefully dress the t-shirt onto the heat press platen, and cover with a teflon sheet (for glossy) or parchment paper (matte finish).
• Remember to swing the top out of the way while loading the shirt because it is very hot! Make sure the full printed area is covered. DO NOT move the sheet after it is placed because it will smear the ink. 
• Swing the top back over the platen and pull the press bar down onto the shirt. Press for 30 seconds (a ma of 45 seconds if more ink/printing passes were used in the print)
• Swing the top out of the way and wait a few seconds for the shirt to cool before removing it from the platen. 

Epson F2100 Printer Clean-up

• Wipe any excess ink off the t-shirt platen and spray it down with Windex so it is clean for the next shirt. 

Pre-Treatment Cleanup

• When finished with the pre-treatment for the day, remove the container of pre-treatment mix. Dump the extra mix into the red waste collection container. Rinse out the container at the sink.
• Place a gallon of ditilled water into the holder at the back of the Silver-Jet and insert the tube.
• Hold an empty cup underneath the nozzle and press the purge button on the front of the machine until the liquid coming out of the nozzle has changed from white to clear. The tube at the top of the spray chamber will also be clear again. 
• Remove the nozzle and place it in the jar of distilled water. Store this inside of the Silver-Jet.